Ogwumike: “I think it needs to be normalized.”
Photo: WNBA/Seattle Storm
By Christan Braswell
Seattle, WA - The WNBA tipped off its 28th season this week in one of the most anticipated campaigns yet.
When the storied orange and white ball went up, Hall of Famer and Chicago Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon joined Seattle’s Noelle Quinn and Atlanta’s Tanisha Wright as the only three Black women leading the front of the bench in a league where over 70 percent of its players identify as just that.
On media day, Sky rookie Angel Reese praised her new head coach and spoke on how vital Weatherspoon's role is in her life and career.
"Just being able to have someone that understands me as a Black woman, that looks like me. Who knows what I've been through and understands me from that perspective."
Kevin Jairaj - USA TODAY Sports
Having a coach who has walked in the same shoes is an experience that is all too new for Reese. Throughout her career, she never had that resource. Luckily for her, it doesn’t stop at the former two-time Defensive Player of the Year. Weatherspoon recruited former teammate and longtime assistant coach Crystal Robinson to join her staff and Ty Young who spent nine seasons with the franchise during her playing career.
Like in Chicago, Black women lead the charge at various stations in Seattle. For Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, this should be commonplace across the league.
“I think it needs to be normalized, to be honest,” she said. “Even just talking about it needs to be normalized a little bit. Even in an environment where you have a choice to go somewhere, that’s something you could say but people wouldn’t really get. It’s something that on my visit that I didn’t have to say but people got, you know? It’s an unspoken thing that is intrinsic to our experience and in no way is it exclusive. Like you said, it’s a part of who we are.”
At the forefront is Quinn, entering her fourth year as the first Black head coach in franchise history. In the 28-year existence of the league, only 20 Black women have held the post.
From left to right. Storm head coach Noelle Quinn, assistant coaches Pokey Chatman and Ebony Hoffman, lead athletic trainer Brittanie Vaughn and her assistant Taneisha Jones. Photos by Liz Wolter, USA Today Sports
Assistant coach Pokey Chatman added associate general manager duties to her plate this offseason, a promotion that played a role in Jewell Loyd resigning and not testing free agency. Next to Chatman is assistant Ebony Hoffman, a former Most Improved Player award recipient who spent 11 seasons in the WNBA. Hoffman played for the Los Angeles Sparks during the first two seasons of Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike’s career. In addition, lead athletic trainer Brittanie Vaughn is entering her third season with the team while her assistant Taneisha Jones joined the team in March after being the Phoenix Mercury’s staff in 2023.
In her 12 seasons as a player, Quinn spent five with Seattle, including the last three of her career. Retiring in 2019, she joined the coaching staff as an assistant. Six games into the 2021 season, Quinn took over for retiring WNBA champion and two-time Coach of the Year Dan Hughes.
Since her promotion, the team has been turned over in more ways than one. After two consecutive second-round exits, Storm legend Sue Bird retired and two-time league MVP Breanna Stewart left in free agency during the same offseason in 2022. Facing unchartered territory last season without a third of their core that carried the franchise for two decades combined, Seattle missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Armed with a rebuild overnight featuring two feature Hall of Famers, Quinn was trusted to restore the franchise to its former glory.
During media day, Charles Hallman of the Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder spoke to Quinn about her experience.
“I don’t take it for granted,” she said. “It’s a blessing to be here. There aren’t many of us. To be able to live in my purpose, be a light, and encourage these guys to be at their best. To continue to be the best version of myself. I stand on the shoulders of giants and I walk in that every single day. It’s an honor to be here. It’s an honor to be able to pour my heart and soul not into not only the work but in the relationships I’m building, not only with my players but my staff and this organization.”
Unlike most Black coaches in professional sports, Quinn wasn’t relieved of her position for not producing a championship overnight. She was given grace unseen in this situation to grow as a coach and cultivate an identity for her team that fits her image. For example, former Dallas Wings head coach Vickie Johnson didn’t receive a contract extension despite taking her team to the playoffs for two straight seasons in 2021 and 2022.
For Ogwumike, Seattle’s commitment to fostering an environment that fosters their growth on and off the court didn’t go unnoticed.
“That plays into decision-making. That plays into understanding, relationships, and networking. Not to say there aren’t other opportunities and relationships that can be developed in other ways. I feel like where we are in our journeys, where we are as members of the Storm, where we are in the WNBA, and then also our history leading up to this point, the time was right. I really do feel like the time was right.”
Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike checking in for center Mercedes Russell during the team’s home-opening loss to the Minnesota Lynx on May 14 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. Photo by Liv Lyons.
Since the start of training camp, Ogwumike has fielded one question after another centering on her departure from the Sparks. It was an earth-shattering moment to most but for Ogwumike, leaving a team and community she poured her heart into for 12 years was a decision that came with relative ease because it was solely hers to make.
“It felt very seamless for me. I always respect and honor where I come from but when life throws changes and transitions, I move on quite well, especially if its something that had to do with my decision. I’m really good at seeing what’s in front of me and figuring what I want to create out of that. Being here in a sense felt like I was home in a weird way. It feels like so many things have aligned. Home is figurative because I’ve known Skylar for so long, I’ve been connected with Noey (Noelle), I played with Eb (Ebony), and I’ve always been connected with Pokey.”
Empowered by those around her, Ogwumike did what was best for her career, but herself first and foremost. Like Skylar Diggins-Smith, they felt seen and understood by everyone from ownership down to operations staff. A culmination of belief and respect goes a long way.
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Cover photo of this article by Liv Lyons, check out her portfolio here.
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